When to ask for recommendation letters? Forum

[Yeags]

I am graduating in May, and applying this fall. I haven't taken my LSAT yet and haven't thought much about my personal statement. The two recommenders that I have in mind taught me last semester. Should I go ahead and try to ask for recommendations from them now? Or wait until when I have my LSAT score and a draft of my personal statement? Thanks! Any advice will be appreciated.

[MrPapagiorgio]

Get those LORs in as soon as you can. You would be amazed at how long some professors take. The last thing you want is for your applications to be stalled while waiting for a LOR, which is mainly out of your control.

[Yeags]

Get those LORs in as soon as you can. You would be amazed at how long some professors take. The last thing you want is for your applications to be stalled while waiting for a LOR, which is mainly out of your control.

Thanks! I just thought that they might ask to see a draft of your personal statement, and ask about your positioning strategy for the application.

[tttlllsss]

In was in the same boat prior to this current cycle. I decided to wait until May (after finals, at the top of summer break) to ask my profs for letters.

Here are my reasons:
- Since profs are so busy over the semester, I figured they would do a better job writing during the summer. I told my profs to take their time; they finally submitted them 3 months later.
- I wanted to include my LSAT score on my resume (took Feb LSAT). I think a strong score sort of compels the prof to believe that you're a strong student (more so than he or she would normally).
- Profs really don't need 8+ months to write the LORs. It's good to give them a wide window in terms of a deadline - to be courteous and to ensure quality - but a LOR really shouldn't take more than 4 months to work on, max, even if the prof is putting it off. Besides, when the 3-month-mark rolls around, you can encourage them to wrap it up, and they'll usually comply.